Customer Reviews

The Forensic Science of C.S.I.

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"The Forensic Science of C.S.I." by Katherine Ramsland, ISBN 0-425-18359-9 (ppb), Berkly Blvd. Books 2001 - is a 242 page exposition by established writer (15 books plus masters in forensics) cleverly utilizing the characters, plots and forensics presented in the popular TV series "C.S.I."

It is helpful (but not essential) to have followed "CSI" on TV as Ramsland's reference to the TV shows' titles and characters is merely a ploy in her easy-to-read presentation of basic modern forensics. Indeed, she skillfully introduces and outlines, in a series of 11 chapters, the crime scene and the elements of crime scene reconstruction including criminal logic, deceptions, and forensic puzzles & methodology in up-to-date evidence collection. Indeed, the last chapter "Evidence Response" is especially well presented.

Aside from the oft encountered confusion in definition of "trace evidence", the book is excellent from the standpoint of crime scene coverage, categorization of forensic methodologies, and readability. It has an excellent glossary (13 p.), consequential references (4 p.), and helpful index (11 p.). The book is informative, well organized, priced fairly and is thusly recommended.

If you are a serious fan of CSI or if you are fascinated by forensic science then this book might belong in your collection. The author actually has a degree in the subject so she really knows what she's talking about. The good points about the book are: You get a quick overview of how crimes are really solved. It's not by the flashy cop like in the movies it's by the CSI person in the lab. The author liberally sprinkles examples real life crimes and how use or misuse of evidence affected the outcome. For instance she shows how the JonBenet Ramsey crime scene was ruined and why the coroner will never be able to get an approximate time of death. She also mentions the O.J. Simpson case. Poor handling of physical evidence turned the tide there. The only objections I have to the book are the design problems. The brittle paper feels horrible... your visible fingerprints will be left on it... frankly for the cost of this book I think the publisher could've made a better looking product.

The hit TV series CSI has spawned interest in forensic science in the public. This book shows you how forensic works in reality, from fingerprint and DNA to blood spatter pattern analyis.
It is not an episode guide to the TV show with some explanations tagged on, as another reviewer wrote. The book uses the CSI show merely as an angle to introduce the general reader into this interesting topic. You will surely find much of interest here, even if you have never seen an CSI episode. Author Katherine RAMSLAND also clearly points out where the series does not get it right:
* forensic investigations take much more time in reality (whereas in the TV show uses some artistic licence due to narrative necessities)
* crime scene investigators don't interrogate suspects
* proceedures and tests, which look rather easy in the show, are difficult and time consuming.
I liked the methodological approach of the book: It starts with the definition of a crime scene, details the investigation from the inital response of law enforcement personel to the processing of the scene all the way to what happens during the autopsy and in the crime lab. It gives you a good insight into what crime scene investigators do (the kits, equipment and tools they use, what legal and scientific proceedures they have to adher to, how evidence is collected, preserved, investigated
and stored, what happens at the lab and so forth) without being overly technical.
As mentioned above, the angle author Katherine RAMSLAND uses is the CSI TV show. So there are often references to the show, what tests GRISSOM and his team used and they are explained in detail without being overly technical. The book is interspersed with references to real crimes (I was surprised to see how many CSI episodes were apparently inspired by true crimes!) and how forensic science helped to solve them.
The author also points out the psychological side in chapters on profiling and the use of psychological autopsy.
My main complaint with the book is the absence of any kind of illustrations. It is much more instructive when discussing the e.g. various kinds of fingerprints and blood spatter patterns and to actually see some pictures of samples, let alone the equipment in a crime lab. I mean, who knows what a gas chromatograph looks like? Also some kind of diagramms or illustrations would have been helpful with some of the scientific tests. The complete lack of pictures makes the book occassionally a bit dry at times.

I found this book to be marginal at best. That may have something to do with my education and the amount of reading I have done in real forensics books. It would be a good read for teens interested in a possible career in this field, or for adults whose primary exposure is through the TV series. I'm sure that the writer knows much more than is in this book, and I would like to see a more in-depth coverage written for those who aren't in medicine or law enforcement but who have a genuine interest in the science. If your teen likes the show, it might be an excellent way to get them interested in reading science outside of that dull text from high school.

I wasn't looking for a manual of forensic science. I'm just a fan of CSI and true crime in general. This book supplied fascinating details about the equipment and procedures that are featured on the show, and even included real cases that many of the shows seem to depict.

I highly recommend it to anyone who's as curious about the investigation process as I am.

Excellent book! I liked the ties to the show. It helped a lot because you could think back to the episode and remember what the gang did, or what the process looked liked. This book was well written. It was very descriptive, and it goes in to so much detail I think anyone, fan or not, can understand. It was small and light, which was helpful considering I couldn't put it down!

We loved this book-- on the back cover it asks about a half dozen questions like -- "how can a pair of glasses suggest murder rather than suicide?" and others-- and then goes on to explain how forensic scientists arrive at their final conclusions using all kinds of methods and analysis. The auhtor has a masters degree in forensic psychology and has published 15 books incuding biographies of such famous writers as anne Rice and Dean Koontz. She also spent a year as a research assistant to former FBI profiler John Douglas...and she writes forensic science articles for Court TV's Crime Library. Note that the book was not authorized, prepared, approved, licensed or endorsed by anyone in connection with the TV series CSI...The book is divided into 11 chapters and includes a good glossary, references section and index. Topics covered begin 1) Scene of Crime and end at 11 Evidence Response and in between include 2) handling bodies 3) ID unknown 4) Traces, 5) We have a Match 6) Science v Intuition 7) Elements of Reconstruction 8)Criminal Logic and 9) Varieties of Deception and 10 Forensic puzzles. I especially like the boldface sections of the book where the author adds some historical perspective ie how the coroner system evolved etc. She certainly demystifies lots of the science of forensics and explains what's fact-based behind some of CSI's most watched shows. Did you know that Iodine fumes are used to bring up latent fingerprints-- well after reading this book you'll know lots more about forensic science...and it's great cocktail chatter too....

Ramsland knows both of her subjects well and does a fine job of weaving the non-fictional forensics information with the fictional examples from the television program. A great book for anyone who is interested in forensic science or just a fan of the show!

This is not the book I would have bought had I been looking for a technical explanation of crime scene analysis. It is an interesting companion to a TV series called C.S.I. or Crime Scene Investigator. The show can be pretty technical as it shows investigators solving crimes with the many of the latest techniques like DNA analysis, etc. The book bills itself as a way to explain with more detail the lives of Crime Scene Investigator's (C.S.I.s) and does so very well. It is thorough without being over-technical. Not only is the background information about the show interesting but Ramsland throws in side-stories about real life instances that have used the techniques she just detailed to catch the criminal. It is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the show and is not ready for the less readable, more technical Forensic Science manual.

this book tells you everything you need to know about forensics. It is the best science text i have ever read. from the scene to the autopsy table, it has it all. if you like the show CSI and the CSI books by Max Allen Collins, you'll love this! it gives you real life examples, lists , and explanations on every page. it also has an awesome glossary and reference. LOVE IT!!!!!!